Phoenix - In a sign of continued weakness in his home state, an online poll shows Sen. John McCain trailing Sen. Barack Obama by 3-percentage points in Arizona. The poll also shows the candidacy of Liberterian Bob Barr is having a significant impact on McCain's campaign by siphoning off conservative voters nationwide.

The Arizona poll was part of nationwide Zogby International poll that put Obama ahead in total electoral votes with 273 to 160 for McCain. The poll found 11 states with 105 electoral votes too close to call -- including Arizona. McCain's campaign in June included Arizona among its list of swing states.

McCain not only faced problems with Independent voters, he is losing a small, but potentially lethal voting block of the GOP right to Barr. The former Republican congressman from Georgia is pulling just enough voters in many states to shift the balance to Obama. Whether this bloc will remain in Barr's camp on election day could determine the outcome.

"Barr is hurting McCain all across the country," said Fritz Wenzel, director of communications for Zogby.

The Zogby poll of 1,142 likely Arizona voters was conducted June 11-30, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The survey found Obama leading in Arizona with 42 percent of the vote, followed by McCain with 39 percent. Barr had 7 percent, followed by Independent Ralph Nader with 2 percent. Five percent of the voters selected other candidates and 5 percent were undecided.

Wenzel said 16 percent of Arizona voters who described themselves as very conservative said they would vote for Barr, with 64 percent backing McCain. The double-digit defection to Barr signals further trouble ahead for Arizona's senior Senator.

"That's very dangerous for a Republican candidate," Wentzel said.

...Perhaps Barr can make up for voter apathy among civil Libertarians by courting disenchanted conservatives unwilling to vote for John McCain. Barr’s stances on taxation, for example, have been more consistently “conservative” than McCain’s, and it would not be surprising if economic conservatives began favoring Barr for that reason.

Barr will face a second obstacle — ballot access regulations, which vary from state to state. These regulate which names appear on ballots (or, more often the case, which do not). The U.S. Constitution, under Article I, Section IV, grants states autonomy to choose where, when, and how to carry out federal elections. This power, although rightly granted to states, has led to more restrictions than freedoms. States often (mis)use this power to deter “frivolous” candidacies and, in doing so, threaten some of the most treasured privileges of American citizenship: the right of citizens to run for political office, to form political parties, and to petition the government.

Libertarians will not attain ballot access in all fifty states because restrictions are simply too onerous; they may hope for write-in votes, but those never win elections (unless you are Strom Thurmond). Besides, Republican Ron Paul is more likely to attract Libertarian write-ins even though he has formally left the race.

Not just libertarians, but politicians from all constellations of belief should have access to the voters — and the voters to them. That is the way of democracy. Pay attention as Libertarians seek petition signatures to overcome ballot access restrictions. Put aside your opinions of Libertarians or of Barr and consider what participatory democracy means to you. And then, if you live in one of the twenty states where Libertarians have yet to attain ballot access, sign a petition. Show that you’re for free and open elections. That is the best option, “Barr” none.